Thoughts and stories by J.D. Phillippi, storyteller and writer

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For All These Things

If you grew up in the 1960’s (as I largely did) your musical life was probably dominated by one instrument. The guitar. I not only had the influence of electric guitar in most popular music but also the acoustic guitar. My parents enjoyed folk music and my father was a self taught acoustic player.

My current “axe”Alvarez pd-80sc

To this day I love acoustic guitar. Over the last four years or so I’ve been oh so slowly learning how to play. I have a friend (a great and generous friend) who has not only pushed into fulfilling this life long dream but has helped by loaning me and giving me guitars to play.

It began with his announcement at camp a couple years back that he was tired of hearing me talk about wanting to play the guitar. I was going to play a song at the talent show on Friday. It was Monday and I could play exactly ZERO chords or notes on a guitar. So I found a song with two simple chords (oh my friend was not pleased. Said I was cheating. I said hey, the song is in the book and it only has two chords). Wonder of wonders by Friday I could actually play AND sing the song at the same time.

From that moment on I’ve continued in sporadic fashion to learn more chords (I know about a dozen now) and more songs. I don’t practice as much as I need to if I’m going to get better. It’s always the “next” item on my to do list. But when I do I love that I can do it. No matter how badly I do it at the moment.